Divinity - A Nowhere Boys fanfiction
by honeyjadecladdagh
Summary: Little did Eden Ripley know, when she purchased a talisman at a local magic shop, that she would be in for the adventure of her life. This is a story about a girl who gets stuck in the world of the Nowhere Boys and her struggle to get home (may contain some references to Lord of the Rings). This is my first fanfiction. Hope you enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer - I do NOT own Nowhere Boys or Lord of the Rings. All rights go to the original owners.**

* * *

 **Divinity - A Nowhere Boys Fanfiction**

 **Chapter 1**

The old rusted bell that hung above the entrance to the shop jingled as the door swung open with a deafening creak. The shopkeeper, a grumpy looking middle-aged woman named Catherine, who was busy packaging crystals in little Ziploc bags, glanced up at the person who had just entered. The customer was a girl of about 16 with long, wavy, brown hair, bright blue eyes, snow-white skin and dark purple lips. The girl was also dressed from head to toe in all black. Black bowler hat, black shirt, black fingerless gloves, black skirt, black tights and black boots. A leather handbag which - surprise, surprise - was also black, hung on her shoulder.

Catherine rose from her seat and addressed the girl in a bored tone. "Can I help you, Miss...?"

"Ripley" the girl said. "Eden Ripley"

"Can I help you, Miss Ripley?" Catherine asked again.

Eden shook her head. "No thanks. I'd like to have a look around, if that's ok with you."

Catherine nodded. "Go ahead. Take all the time you need. I'm in no hurry to close."

Eden smiled her thanks, then proceeded to wander around the small shop, admiring all the brightly coloured dream catchers hanging from the ceiling and all the tables and cabinets laden with amulets, tiny fairy statues, ceramic frogs and skeleton tealights.

"We don't have any vampire books if that's what you're looking for" Catherine said as Eden walked over to the bookshelves.

Eden sighed. She'd heard that before. "I don't want vampire books" she said matter-of-factly.

Catherine rolled her eyes. "My mistake"

Eden sighed again. _Pleasant to be in the company of such a friendly, good-natured person!_ She thought bitterly. Then something caught her eye. "This is pretty" she said, picking up a small stone hanging on a piece of thread. The stone was brown and circular, decorated with swirling patterns and all the zodiac symbols were engraved around the edge. It reminded her of a necklace she'd seen in a TV show.

"That's a talisman" Catherine told her. "I found it outside my shop one morning. I kept it, thinking someone might come and claim it, but no-one ever did"

"I'll buy it" Eden offered.

Catherine stared at her. "What would you want with a talisman?"

Eden shrugged. "I don't know. It might be nice to wear"

"You could get some strange looks if you're seen wearing that in public" Catherine pointed out.

"I'm a Goth. I always get strange looks" Eden replied.

"Well, if you insist" Catherine said. "That'll be seven pounds, fifty pence"

Eden handed her a ten pound note. "Keep the change" she said as she headed out the door, taking the talisman with her.

Eden Ripley was born in London, England to substitute teacher Susan Ripley. Eden's father, a drug-addled layabout, had run off with another woman when Eden was 5. But she and her mother didn't care. They knew they could manage fine without him and they did.

Eden had decided at the age of 10 that she was going to be a Goth. She had always adored the fashion and she loved reading 19th Century gothic novels, especially Frankenstein. She also had a fascination with the occult. Her mother had, at first, been a little freaked out by Eden's wardrobe change but was relieved by the fact that she had decided not to mutilate her body with piercings (the thought of having needles stuck in places they had no right to be made Eden shudder).

Unfortunately, life as a Goth wasn't always great. At school it was never rare for Eden to be called weird or a freak, amongst many other names, or for her to be alone often. Not that she cared. Being a Goth wasn't about popularity anyway.

Then she discovered the show Nowhere Boys, a TV show about four boys who get stuck in a universe where they don't exist. Two weeks and several magic spells later, they find their way home, only to discover they had elemental powers. The moment Eden discovered the show, it was love at first sight. She loved everything about it: the drama, the action, the amazing visual effects and, of course, the four main characters: Felix, Andy, Sam and Jake. Felix was Eden's favourite character, not just because she thought he was quite cute but also because she found him to be a very relatable character. He, like Eden, was often bullied for the way he looked and also had an interest in magic.

Fresh out of high school, the 16-year-old wasn't sure what to do with her life until she heard about the Stratford University of Myths and Magic which specialised in palm-reading, astral projection and suchlike. Eden applied for a place there the first chance she got and, to her delight, was accepted.

It was now the summer holidays and, in a month, she would be heading off to start her new life at university. She didn't know what to expect but she was sure they wouldn't be as bad as her schoolmates. And it wasn't just them she had to worry about. Whenever she was out in public, she was at constant risk of hearing the occasional wisecrack such as "Why do you dress like that?", "It's not Halloween yet" and "You know, you'll never get a job looking like that". Fortunately for Eden, she always had a comeback prepared for the last of these: "Honey, clothes like this don't come cheap. How do you think I can afford to pay for them?"

Eden and her mother had never exactly lived in poverty but they were far from rich. Eden helped out in any way she could and she had certainly done her fair share of work. At the age of 12, she had gotten a job distributing catalogues and brochures in her neighbourhood. She also had to work 14 waitressing jobs to pay the fees for university. She just hoped it would all be worth it.

When Eden got home, she found the house empty. Her mother must've been out working. As well as her job as a substitute teacher, sh sometimes worked an extra job selling tickets at the cinema. And yet somehow she always managed to keep the house presentable. Every window was always shining bright, every room was immaculate and every surface was kept free of dust. In the springtime, there was always a violet vase filled with freshly picked lavender that took pride of place on the kitchen table while the cabinets that displayed her mother's collection of bone china animals sat on either side of the big red sofa in the family room.

After setting her handbag down in a chair, Eden walked over to the hall mirror, a tall rectangle piece of silver glass rimmed with gold and roughly the same height as Eden. Keeping her attention focused on the talisman, she carefully hung it around her neck, then gazed at its reflection, and hers, in the mirror. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Suddenly she gave a jolt and jumped back as if the mirror had just tried to attack her. She could've sworn she had just heard a voice whispering in her ear. Eden looked around frantically, half-expecting to see somebody standing in the room with her. Then something drew her attention back to the mirror. Was it her imagination or was the talisman glowing? Eden looked down at the stone hanging around her neck and, sure enough, it was emitting a dull yellow light. The voice echoed in her ears again and this time the words were crystal clear: "Elements of the universe, within and without, space be no hindrance, no barrier, no bar." Eden's breath came in gasps and her heart was battering her ribs as she feebly grasped onto the talisman. What was going on?

Eden nearly had a heart attack when the mirror also began to glow that same yellow light. Stretching out a quivering hand, she cautiously approached the mirror but, instead of feeling its cold, smooth surface beneath her fingertips, her hand went straight through the glass which rippled like disturbed water. Before she had time to react, another hand that felt like ice grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, straight into the mirror, ignoring her shrill scream of terror and shock.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

With a startled yelp, Eden stumbled forward and fell face-first on the ground. It took a while for her to realise where she was after she pushed herself up off the ground. When she felt the prickle of grass against her skin, she thought she was in her garden. However, when she lifted her head to look around, she knew that, wherever she was, it wasn't her garden.

Surrounding Eden was nothing but trees, trees and more trees that seemed to stretch on forever and were of every shape, size, colour and variation possible. There were towering oak trees that reached proudly towards the sky with branches teeming with amber and golden leaves. There were also short willow trees whose branches, a rich green and yellow from their long leaves, hung down over their stout trunks. There were many hundreds of other trees as well: pine, elm, maple and every other type of tree imaginable. Birds flapped in and out between the branches, whistling and chirping as they went.

Minutes that felt like hours dragged by as Eden stood gazing around at the scenery, wondering where she was and what had happened. Perhaps she was dreaming. That would explain a lot. She decided to check and see if this was the case. Closing her eyes, she pinched herself on the shoulder. She then opened her eyes again, hoping to find herself back at home. Bugger! No such luck!

Well, if she really was stuck in a forest, what would be the best thing to do? At first she considered calling her mother or the police but then what would she tell them? She didn't even know where she was and had yet to work out how she had gotten here. Besides, she didn't have her phone and, even if she did, the odds of getting a signal didn't seem likely. Then a thought struck Eden. She had heard that if you were lost in a forest it was always a good idea to find a river because it was bound to go past a town. Eden decided to try her luck.

An hour later, after trudging across paths overcrowded with bushes and grass matted down with mud and nearly tripping and falling heels over head on tree roots, she finally found herself on the bank of a river that seemed to be flowing in an easterly direction. Eden was about to follow it when a rumble of thunder invaded her ears. Shading her eyes with her hand, she peered up at the sky. Dark grey thunder clouds were approaching fast. They meant business.

Suddenly a hurricane appeared out of nowhere and started heading straight towards Eden who immediately started running for her life. A cold breeze whistled in her ears and tossed her hair around wildly as she ran as fast as she could, paying no attention to the burning stitch in her chest that threatened to puncture her lungs with every breath she took and drain every drop of energy from her body.

Taking a swift glance over her shoulder, she saw that the hurricane was gaining speed and was now only mere inches away. "Holy Christ!" Eden gasped as she tried to put as much distance between it and herself as possible, adrenalin coursing through her veins as she crossed herself with her right hand. She would never be able to outrun that hurricane. She had to get out of its path. Dodging quickly to the right, she dived head-first into a clump of bushes and spent some 5 minutes laying there on the ground until she finally felt safe to emerge from her hiding place. To her relief, the hurricane was gone and Eden kept walking.

Eventually Eden came across a gravel path which led her to, what looked like, a car park, minus the cars. A long, wide road stretched out before it. Eden decided that if anything could take her out of that forest and back to civilisation, it had to be that road so she followed it, feeling a lot like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz travelling down the yellow brick road, except this road was made of tarmac instead of yellow bricks.

It felt like forever before Eden finally came across the first sign of civilisation. By this time the road had become ever so slightly narrower but was still bordered by trees. It had also split in two with one half continuing forward and the other half stretching out to the right. On the left-hand side of the road was a large wooden sign with the words "Welcome to Bremin" painted on it in black. Bremin. Why did that name sound familiar?

"Watch out!" a voice shouted, causing Eden to nearly jump out of her skin. She turned to see a boy and a girl of about her age standing by the road.

The girl had long brown hair twisted into pigtails and matching brown eyes. The boy also had brown eyes and his hair was black, save for a few red strands at the back. Both of them were dressed all in black and had panicked expressions on their faces. There was something eerily familiar about them but Eden had no time to work out what it was when the girl yelled "Watch out!" and pointed at the road behind Eden.

A school bus was hurtling towards Eden as if it were hell-bent on turning her into a disfigured, lifeless corpse. The driver had turned to yell at some of the kids and the vehicle was losing control. Upon sighting the speeding vehicle, Eden gasped in fright and tried to run but she couldn't move. Her brain was screaming for her to move out of the way but her body was refusing to co-operate.

Suddenly the boy hurled himself at Eden and dragged her off of the road, sending them both tumbling into a ditch. The bus flew past them in a blur as if nothing had happened.

"Are you alright?" the girl asked, running over to help them up.

Eden was a little dazed but was able to nod her head and replied in a whisper "Yes."

And, in that moment, Eden realised who these people were: Felix and his friend Ellen from Nowhere Boys! After that, it didn't take long for Eden to realise what had happened. The talisman must have somehow turned the mirror in the hall into a portal and transported her to the world of the Nowhere Boys. That explained how she had ended up in the forest. And that hurricane must have been the Restoring Demon. Oh no! That meant Eden would have to be on her guard while she was here, since the Restoring Demon had a nasty habit of possessing people.

All this was a little too much for Eden to take in. Feeling very faint, she stumbled forward. Luckily, Felix caught her. "Whoa, easy there" he said, steadying her. "Are you sure you're ok?"

Eden nodded. "I'm fine. Thank you both for saving me, by the way."

"You're welcome" Ellen replied. "So, I'm guessing you're not from around here."

"You could say that" Eden muttered.

"Well, in that case, welcome to Australia. I'm Ellen and this is Felix."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Eden. Eden Ripley."

Ellen nodded approvingly. "Cool name. That's a good look for you, by the way. Very gothic. And it goes with your name."

Eden smiled. "Thanks."

Felix gave a small cough. "When you two hens are finished clucking!"

"Aww, jealous, are we?" Ellen cooed.

Felix rolled his eyes in annoyance and turned to Eden. "We were just going to meet our friends at the skate park. Do you want to come? I'm sure they'd like to meet you."

Eden agreed and they set off. Every so often, Eden behind her to check and see if there were any signs of the Restoring Demon showing up. So far, nothing. That was a good sign. She just hoped that it wouldn't come back when there were a lot of people around because that would take a lot of explaining and that, she did not plan on doing.

Not yet, anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"It's not happening, Sam" Andy said, shaking his head in refusal. "No way, no how".

School was over for the day and Sam had insisted on dragging Jake and Andy over to the skate park so that he could teach them how to skate. Jake, always up for a challenge, had agreed in a heartbeat but with Andy it was another story.

"What's the matter? Are you worried about getting your uniform dirty?" Sam laughed.

"Well, actually..." Andy began.

Jake interrupted. "Because, if you are, there is something called a washing machine, you know."

"It's not that!" Andy snapped as his hands flew up in frustration. "I just don't like the idea of falling and smashing my head open!"

Sam rolled his eyes, sighing. "Andy, I promise, skating isn't that dangerous!"

"That's easy for you to say!" Andy retorted. "You're a professional!"

Sam's face went bright red and a huge grin spread across his face. "Oh, you're too kind."

"That wasn't a compliment, doofus" Jake chuckled. "Hey, look who decided to show up!" he suddenly said, causing his friends to turn their heads in the direction he was facing. Felix and Ellen were approaching with Eden walking along beside them.

"Who's that with them?" Andy asked, pointing at Eden.

"Only one way to find out. Come on" Jake said, running over to meet them.

Once Felix and Ellen were face to face with Jake, Sam and Andy, they introduced their new friend.

"Guys, meet Eden. She's new here" said Felix.

Jake and Andy greeted her politely but all Sam could say was "Whoa! Who's funeral did you just come from?"

Jake gave him a sharp nudge while the others frowned at him.

"Hey! I happen to like wearing black!" Eden said defensively. "Got a problem with that?" she added, her voice now low and dangerous.

"No! No, no problem" Sam quickly answered. He had hardly known Eden for a minute and already he was beginning to think that she and Ellen were twins; they were so alike.

"So, Eden," Andy said, deciding to change the subject quickly before things got ugly. "Judging by your accent, I'm assuming you're not Australian. Am I right?"

Eden nodded. "Yes you are."

"Where are you from, then?" asked Jake.

"England."

Sam's eyes grew wide with interest. "You're British?"

Eden, who thought this couldn't be more obvious, sighed loudly. "No, I'm American. I just happen to be good at accents."

Yep, she and Ellen were definitely related. Unfortunately, Sam was not deterred by her sarcasm. "So, what's England like? Is the weather always bad?" he asked.

"It is often" she replied.

"Do all people in England have posh accents?"

"No"

"Which part of England are you from?"

"London"

"That's the capital, isn't it?"

"Yes"

"Have you ever seen the Queen?"

"Only on TV"

"What's she like?"

"Do you always ask this many questions?" Eden asked, slightly exhausted.

Felix apologised to Eden on Sam's behalf and gave Sam a dark stare. But he didn't seem to get the message. "Just one more question, please?" he begged. "I promise it'll be the last."

Eden huffed, annoyed. "Go ahead"

"What brings you here to Bremin?"

When he said this, Eden instantly forgot about her frustration and felt herself become anxious and claustrophobic. How was she supposed to explain that? But she needn't have bothered worrying because, before she could answer, Andy said "What's that around your neck?"

Everyone looked at Eden's talisman and, upon doing so, their eyes filled with wonder and surprised. Felix reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a talisman that looked exactly like the one Eden was wearing. "Impossible!" he breathed.

"Where did you get that?" Jake asked, gazing at Eden's talisman in amazement.

"More importantly," Felix added, "why does it look just like mine?"

Well, this was awkward.

"Look!" Andy suddenly gasped, pointing at the talismans. They were both emitting a dull yellow light, just as Eden's had done before.

Sam coughed nervously. "Um...people"

Everyone turned in Sam's direction. He was pointing to all the other people in the skate park. They were all standing, bent backward so that their heads were turned up towards the sky and were shaking violently. Then they straightened up and turned to face the group. "Order must be restored" they hissed in unison, their eyes glowing blood-red.

"The Restoring Demon!" Eden whispered, trembling with fear.

Everyone looked at her, confused.

"How the hell do you know about that?" Sam asked.

"Who cares? Do something, Felix!" Ellen cried.

Felix immediately went into full Exorcist mode, holding his talisman out in front of him like it was a crucifix as he began to chant "Divinity of the elements, I summon thee. Earth, Water, Air..." Then he fell silent. Something in the distance seemed to have drawn his gaze.

"What are you waiting for?!" Jake shouted.

Felix lowered his talisman, slowly. "We have to get out of here."

"Why?" Andy inquired. He soon got his answer when a loud buzzing sound and the beating of wings invaded their ears. A swarm of angry bees, accompanied by a large flock of crows, was heading straight towards them.

"That's why. Run!" Felix screamed. They didn't wait to be told twice.

The group set off at once, sprinting away from the skate park with all the other possessed people, as well as the bees and crows, close behind. None of them cared where they went. They just wanted to get away from there, alive and, preferably, unharmed.

"Do you think we can outrun them?" Andy panted as he ran.

" **I** don't need to outrun them. I just need to outrun you guys!" said Jake.

"Oh, thanks a lot, so-called friend!" Felix yelled from the back.

"You're welcome, Freak!" Jake yelled back.

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT!" a furious Felix screamed as they rounded a corner and dashed through a quiet neighbourhood, the sound of buzzing, wings flapping and feet approaching ever present in their ears.

They had just reached the end of the street and were beginning to think they might escape when Andy tripped on an uneven paving stone and fell, twisting his ankle. The others tried to help him up but the movement made him yelp in pain. "You guys go on without me" he said.

"We're not leaving you!" Ellen insisted.

By this time, the people from the skate park were starting to catch up with them. Their eyes glowed demonically as they approached the group, looking as if they were hell-bent on tearing them to shreds, despite their blank expressions. Everyone braced themselves for the worst. They were goners. They were dead.

Just then, a familiar green and white van pulled up next to them. The boys instantly recognised the driver. It was Phoebe, older sister of the witch Alice and creepy magic shop owner.

"Need a ride?" Phoebe asked, leaning out the window.

Relieved, the boys sprang towards the van, only to be stopped by Eden. "Guys, aren't you forgetting someone?" she said.

Andy! How could they forget?! With the help of the girls, Felix Jake and Sam lifted Andy off the ground and carried him into the van. "Ow! That hurts!" Andy whined as they picked him up.

"Stop complaining, you big sissy!" Jake scolded as he slammed the door of the van once everyone had piled inside.

"Go, go, go!" yelled Ellen who was riding shotgun with Phoebe. And they went, went, went. Phoebe slammed her foot down on the gas pedal. The wheels of the van screeched as they tore out of the neighbourhood. Before the smoke cleared, they were gone. But still the demon continued the chase.

"They're gaining on us!" Phoebe cried, glancing into the rear-view mirror.

Sam, who was sitting in the back with Felix, Andy, Jake and Eden, was beside himself. "What if they catch us? What will they do?"

Phoebe looked over her shoulder at him. "They're possessed by a demon that's hell-bent on murder. What do you think they'll do?"

"Eyes on the road! EYES ON THE ROAD!" Ellen shrieked, gripping the dashboard as the van swerved onto the sidewalk. Phoebe turned back to the windscreen and jerked the van to the right, narrowly escaping a collision with a tree.

"We've got to do something!" Jake cried, looking at Felix as if he expected him to have an answer.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" said Felix. He looked over at Eden's talisman which suddenly gave him an idea. "Eden, I need your help."

"I'm listening" Eden replied.

"This is a really powerful demon we're dealing with" Felix explained. "Well, with both of our talismans, we might be able to cast a protection spell that's twice as powerful."

Eden considered this for a moment. There were no other options so she agreed. "Ok. What do you need me to do?"

"Just hold your talisman in your hand and repeat what I say" Felix instructed.

Eden complied. Holding their talismans in their hands, the two teens began to chant:

 _"Divinity of the elements, I summon thee._

 _Earth, Water, Air, Fire._

 _Within this stone, I invoke ye place,_

 _your greatest strength, your kindest grace._

 _And while this stone remains at hand,_

 _thou shalt be safe throughout this land."_

The talismans flashed brightly.

"Look!" Andy shouted.

The van skidded to a halt and everyone turned to look out of the rear window. The bees and crows had disappeared and the people looked (more or less) normal again. They stood looking around them, confused. After a while, they must have decided to forget about how they had gotten where they were because they then left, much to the relief of the others.

Sam let out a deep sigh. "That was intense!"

Everyone mumbled in agreement. Jake smiled at Felix and Eden. "Good job, you guys" he said, clapping them on the back.

Ellen turned to Phoebe. "Would now be a good time to ask how you found us?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "My sister is a witch. Need I say more?"

"Actually, a little more would be helpful" Ellen said.

Phoebe sighed as if her answer couldn't have been more sufficient. Nevertheless, she was nice enough to elaborate on her response. "All I know is that somehow Alice is able to tell when there's an elemental attack going on. Now, perhaps you'd like to tell me who your new friend is."

Ellen took it upon herself to direct the introduction. "Phoebe, Eden. Eden, Phoebe" she said, making vague gestures to the two of them.

"Pleasure" said Phoebe, eyeing Eden suspiciously. "You know, it's kind of weird that you would just happen to be around when the attack happened, don't you think?"

Eden's face went red with embarrassment as Felix turned to look at her. Phoebe was right. It did seem a bit odd. He looked back at Phoebe. "Take us to Alice" he ordered. "There are a few things I think we should discuss."

Phoebe frowned, narrowing her eyes. "Fine" she grunted reluctantly.

Andy piped up from the back. "My ankle still hurts, if anyone cares."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Alice was sitting in an armchair in the front room of her and Phoebe's house, as if she were expecting someone. When the front door opened, she rose from her seat and smiled as Phoebe entered, followed by Andy who was being carried by Jake and Sam wit Felix, Ellen and Eden tagging along behind them.

Alice greeted her sister. "I see you got them here safely. Job well done, Phoebe."

While Sam and Jake sat Andy down on the sofa, Phoebe introduced Eden to Alice. Felix was about to tell Alice about the elemental attack when Jake interrupted. "Before we get into all the supernatural nonsense, can we please do something about Andy? He's twisted his ankle."

"Leave it to me" Alice said smiling and left the room. After a while, she returned, carrying a glass filled with some strangely coloured liquid. "Here" she said, handing the glass to Andy. "This may taste unpleasant but it'll help the pain."

Andy hesitated, staring at the drink as if it might be poisonous. He sniffed it sceptically. He couldn't smell any chemicals. Slowly, Andy shut his eyes, raised the cup to his lips and gulped the contents down all in one go. When he was finally finished, he coughed and spluttered violently, clutching his throat with both hands. "What the hell was in that?!" he choked.

"You don't want to know" Alice replied quickly. "Now, try walking."

Cautiously, Andy stood up and took a few steps forward. To his amazement, the pain had gone. He looked at Alice and smiled. "Thanks."

Alice smiled back. "Glad I could help. Now," she said, turning to the others, "tell me exactly what happened when the demon attacked you."

Everyone looked at Felix. "Well, basically," he said, "the demon possessed a bunch of people at the skate park, plus a flock of crows and a load of bees, and made them chase us. But Eden has a talisman exactly like mine and, with twice the power, we were able to ward them off."

Narrowing her eyes, Alice gazed at Eden. "I thought this might happen."

This sent shiver down Eden's spine. She was more than a little unnerved. "W-what do you mean?"

"The demon is responsible for restoring order to the universe. If it's made an appearance, that means there's something, or some-ONE, that shouldn't be here." As Alice said this, she kept her eyes fixed on Eden, never looking away from her, not even for a second.

Everyone now turned to face Eden, frowning at her suspiciously.

"Eden," Felix said slowly, "is there something you're not telling us?"

Eden nodded. "I'm just not sure how to tell you. It's kind of complicated."

"Physics is complicated" Andy said.

 _That is a good point,_ Eden thought. She sighed. "Ok, If I tell you something, will you promise to at least try to believe me.

"We promise" everyone replied.

Eden took a deep breath. "Well, the truth is...I'm...from another world." She paused and examined the faces of her companions. They all seemed quite surprised and a little confused but they remained silent. Eden continued. "I come from a world very much like this one. Except, in my world, all of you guys are pretty well-known. You see, there's this TV show called Nowhere Boys and it's all about what happened to you when you got lost in the alternate universe. I've seen it for myself."

"Then...you know all about us?" Sam said.

"Yeah" Eden whispered.

"Ok," said Ellen, "if that's not creepy, I don't know what is!"

Felix stared at Eden in utter astonishment. That explained how she had known about the Restoring Demon and probably the other talisman as well. But that didn't explain how she had ended up in their world and he told her so.

"To be honest, I don't really know myself" Eden told him. "All I know is that when I brought this talisman home, it began acting strange. It started glowing and I heard a voice in my head saying some kind of spell. Then something pulled me into the mirror in the hall and, next thing I knew, I was in a forest. Then I met you guys and now here I am."

As soon as Eden finished speaking, she waited anxiously for the reactions of the others. Finally Felix spoke up. "Well, I've heard weirder stories than that."

"When were you planning on telling us this?" Jake asked.

Eden frowned. "Give me a break! I've only just met you!"

Andy looked at Alice and Phoebe. "Does this mean we're going to have to help her get home?"

"Of course we will" Alice replied. Then she looked at Eden. "Unless you want to stay here."

"With all due respect," Eden said, "if I'm going to have a demon chasing after me, I'd rather get out of here ASAP."

The boys all nodded in agreement. They knew how it felt to be stuck in a world where a demon was out to get you and felt inclined to help her in any way they could.

"So how do we get her home?" asked Sam.

"The best way to do that would be to destroy the thing that brought her here" said Alice. "Namely, the talisman."

"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Jake cried. "Someone fetch me a hammer and I'll get Eden home in no time!"

Phoebe face palmed, shaking her head, while Alice explained that it would take more than a hammer to destroy the talisman. "Only a very magical weapon can destroy something so powerful" she said. "There is a special kind of dagger called Divinity that's hidden somewhere outside of Bremin. It might just be powerful enough to destroy the talisman and I have a map somewhere that will lead us to it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean us?" Jake asked suspiciously.

"It takes all 4 elements to destroy the talisman" Alice explained. "And, since you boys all have elemental powers, you must give the dagger the combined power of your elements."

"So let me get this straight" said Sam. "You expect us all to leave home and travel to some unknown location, that could literally be anywhere, and get ourselves involved in some kind of hocus pocus?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"What about our families?" said Jake. "They'll freak out if we go missing again."

"Well, how do you think Eden's family feels, having her gone?" Ellen pointed out.

"And anyway, I can take care of them" Alice added.

Jake shook his head. "I'm just not sure about this."

Andy, however, seemed quite enthusiastic. "Come on guys, this could be fun. It'll be like a great adventure. Like in Lord Of The Rings, when Frodo had to leave the Shire to take the One Ring to Mordor."

"If you recall, he didn't exactly have a good time of it" Felix reminded him.

"Yeah, I mean, look at all the stuff he went through" Jake chipped in. "He was chased from his home, attacked by a giant spider, stalked by a creepy little man, assaulted by a mutant octopus and he nearly died from a knife wound to the shoulder."

Eden stared at them, her eyebrows raised so high they almost disappeared under her hairline. She'd had no idea they were all Lord Of The Rings fans, or what it had to do with current situation. "How is this like Lord Of The Rings anyway?" she asked.

"Apart from the absence of elves, dwarves, talking trees, orcs and many other things, how is it not?" replied Andy.

"Enough with the Lord Of The Rings crap!" snapped Alice. "Are you kids up for it or not?" She and Phoebe looked at the others inquiringly, waiting for somebody to speak.

"Well, I definitely am" Eden finally said.

"So am I" said Ellen.

"You can count me in" said Felix.

"Me too" said Andy.

"And me" said Sam.

They all then turned to Jake, awaiting his answer. He nodded. "Yes."

Alice smiled once again and nodded her approval. "It is decided."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Eden woke to find someone gently shaking her. At first, she thought it was her mother, come to tell her to get up quickly or she would be late for school. Then she heard a voice which she knew definitely did not belong to her mother.

"Hey, Eden, wake up! It's time to go" Phoebe hissed.

Eden sat up, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She was in the backroom of Phoebe's shop. It had taken a few days for them to get ready to leave, during which time Eden had stayed with Phoebe and Alice, helping them to pack essentials for the journey. She didn't need to get dressed; she had slept in her clothes. She just put on her boots and hat and tied her talisman around her neck. Then she followed Phoebe into the shop where she found Alice waiting for them with three large bags on the floor in front of her, each containing a supply of food and water, as well as some coats in case the weather got bad.

Alice herself had and extra bag slung over her shoulder, containing the map, her Book of Shadows and some other things she might need.

"Is everything ready?" Eden asked.

Alice nodded. "I've found the map and Phoebe has kindly volunteered to do the driving."

Phoebe scowled. "I only did because none of the kids could drive and you refused to learn how!"

"What about the families and friends?" Eden inquired.

"Taken care of, as promised" Alice answered. "Earlier this morning I performed a spell that will make everyone forget about the boys. When we return, I'll reverse the spell and nobody will ever know they were gone. Now all we can do is wait for them to arrive."

Meanwhile, just a few miles away, Felix and Ellen were walking down the street to Sam's place. They had all agreed to meet up there first before heading off to Phoebe's shop. Luckily, Sam's family were off on holiday and wouldn't be back for at least two weeks so they wouldn't have to worry about him being gone.

"Are you sure you want to come?" Felix asked.

Ellen nodded. "Of course I do. Like Andy said, it could be fun. And besides, you never know when you might need some girl power."

"Yeah, but, with the Restoring Demon on the prowl, it could be dangerous."

"So?"

"Well...you might get a bit...scared."

Ellen's forehead crinkled. "Me?! Ellen O'Donnell, scared of danger?! I don't even know the meaning of the words!"

Felix grinned. It was clear that she wasn't going to be deterred. Typical Ellen. "Ok. But don't blame me if something happens to you."

By now they were on the threshold to Sam's house. Jake was on the doorstep, waiting for them. "We may have to call Phoebe and tell her we'll be late" he said. "We're going to be here for a while."

Ellen raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Jake nodded towards the open front door. "See for yourself."

The two Goths made their way into the house with Jake following close behind. They found Sam in the kitchen, still in his pyjamas, struggling with the zip on one of two bulging duffel bags that were both filled to the brim with food. Andy was sitting at the kitchen table, a rucksack beside his chair.

Ellen now raised both eyebrows. "Sam, how long have you been packing?"

The skater looked up at her, revealing the dark shadow under his eyes. "Since 2 a.m. this morning" he replied.

Felix's jaw dropped. He looked at Andy. "He's joking, right?"

"I wish I could tell you he isn't" Andy said.

"Are you sure you've packed enough?" Jake asked in the most sarcastic tone he could muster.

Sam paused and stared at the bags. He was actually taking it seriously! "You're right. Maybe I should pack a few extras, just in case."

Ellen rolled her eyes. "He was being sarcastic, you moron!"

"How do you plan in carrying all this?" asked Andy who found it very difficult to imagine Sam lugging two huge bags full of food across Bremin.

"We're travelling in Phoebe's van" Sam reminded him. "We're not going to be doing much walking."

"And if the van breaks down, what then?"

Sam stopped. He hadn't thought that far ahead. "That'll never happen" he said, though he sounded very uncertain.

"Why don't you make things easier for yourself and only pack small amounts of food that will keep for a long time?" Felix suggested. "And if we run low in supplies, we're bound to come across a shop or two along the way."

"Yeah, and we can always resort to living off the land if we get desperate" Andy added. "I hear dandelions are very plentiful at this time of year."

Sam wrinkled his nose. "Dandelions? What do you think I am, a rabbit?" And he got up to go and find an extra bag.

Realising what he was about to do, and that it had to be stopped at once, Jake acted fast. "Oh no you don't!" he shouted, darting forward and grabbing Sam by the arm.

Felix and Andy provided backup and they dragged a kicking, wriggling, screaming Sam into his room, slamming the door shut behind them. There were sounds of a scuffle with screams and shouts alongside Sam's loud protests as well as several odd bangs and bumps. A few minutes later, they emerged from the room with Sam out of his pyjamas and in his day clothes. As they entered the kitchen, Sam glared at the other boys. "That was very unnecessary!"

"What were we supposed to do?" Jake retorted. "We would've been here all day if you had been allowed to continue packing!"

"Speaking of which," Ellen said, looking down at the bags, "my limit on these is one."

Sam gasped. "But..."

"Agreed!" the others shouted and swept Sam out of the room before he could protest further.

Half an hour later, the front door of Phoebe's shop flew open. Eden, Phoebe and Alice turned to see Felix, Ellen, Andy, Sam and Jake standing in the doorway. "Ready to go?" they said.

Soon everyone was piled into Phoebe's van. Phoebe was in the driver's seat with Alice riding shotgun next to her, map in hand. In the back of the van sat Ellen, Eden, Felix, Andy, Sam and Jake. Their luggage was in the boot.

Phoebe revved the engine and slowly the van pulled out of the driveway. "Let's go get that dagger."

"Adventure awaits!" Andy said cheerfully.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Jake woke with a jolt, as if something had roused him, though he couldn't think what. How long had he been asleep? He checked the time on his watch. Twelve o'clock. Had he really been asleep that long?! How the time flies!

As Jake sat up, he surveyed the interior of the van, observing its occupants. Phoebe and Alice were at the front with Phoebe driving and Alice navigating. Felix and Ellen were listening to a song on Ellen's phone. Sam was busy devouring a Mars bar he had retrieved from his bag.

Eden, for her part, was sitting next to Andy, looking frustrated and with good reason. Andy was going on and on about _Lord of the Rings_ and was currently in the process of deciding who was which character. Soon, it became too much and Eden snapped.

"Andy! No offense but, right now, I could not care less about some stupid fantasy story written by a guy who's old enough to be my granddad!"

Andy gasped. "How dare you" _Lord of the Rings_ is one of the greatest trilogies of all time!"

"Oh please!" Ellen scoffed. "It's not that good. There are plenty of mistakes in those movies which even the biggest fan couldn't explain away."

"Such as?"

"Well," Felix piped up, "there's that part in _Fellowship of the Ring_ when Gandalf tells Saruman that the ring has been in the Shire the whole time. And he says that as if he's only just found out himself. But, in _The Hobbit,_ the events of which occurred 60 years before, Gandalf knew that Bilbo had found a ring which just happened to possess the same qualities as the One Ring."

"So?"

"So, how is it that, for all his wisdom, Gandalf wasn't able to put 2 and 2 together straight away and realise that Bilbo's ring was, in fact, the One Ring?"

Andy scowled. As much as he hated to admit it, Felix was right. But that he did not plan on acknowledging. Meanwhile, the others sat back, enjoying the effect that Felix's comment had made and attempted to suppress their laughter when Sam gave a little "Booyah!" for good measure.

"Ok" Andy finally said. "Maybe there are some parts which could have been better."

Eden couldn't resist the urge to wind him up. She sat up as straight and tall as she could and said in a deep voice "And yet, you did not have the wit to see it. Your love of the Halfling's leaf has clearly slowed your mind."

Everyone immediately burst out laughing at Eden's impression of Saruman. Everyone, that is, except for Alice and Phoebe. "Kids!" they muttered under their breath.

The drive lasted for several hours and every so often they stopped for a quick break before setting off again. Soon the sky began to grow dark and they decided to stop for the night in a small wooded area on the outskirts of Bremin. They lit a small fire and sat around it for the majority of the evening, talking, joking and laughing. It was a very pleasant atmosphere. All that was missing was a desert and a few tumbleweeds and it would've been just like the ol' Wild West.

Eventually, they decided to call it a night and, since there wasn't much room in the van, they simply curled up around the fire and fell asleep, but not before Sam called out "Goodnight everybody! Sleep tight! Don't let the demons bite! And if they do, bite them back!"

"Bedbugs" said Andy.

Everyone stared at him. "What?"

"Bedbugs" he repeated. "It's 'Don't let the BEDBUGS bite'. Not demons."

"How interesting" said Ellen who couldn't have been less interested.

Barely 5 seconds passed before the silence was broken again, this time by Jake. "Why do people say that anyway? Where did it come from?"

"I don't know" said Felix. "Maybe it was invented by some ancient Celtic druid."

"Well, there you are. Mystery solved" said Phoebe. "Now, will you please shut up and go to sleep?"

And they probably would've done if Andy hadn't disturbed the peace yet again. "Actually, it originated in the 19th century."

"For crying out loud!" Phoebe yelled. "Will you go to sleep?!"

Soon they were all asleep. All except Alice. After lying in wait for everyone to go to sleep, she crept away from the group, carrying a small stone tablet and a bottle of water. Once she was a safe distance away, she checked over her shoulder to make sure she hadn't been followed. She then carefully placed the tablet on the ground and poured a thin layer of water onto its surface. Then, passing her hands slowly over it, she quietly chanted "Water flows, water shows. Earth and air and fire glows."

She continued chanting until the water began to ripple and emit a strange white light. A man's face appeared in the water. Alice smiled. "Hello, Hunter."

The man (who, apparently, was called Hunter) nodded and said "Alice. What news?"

"Plenty" Alice replied. "I've finally found te person you need, as well as the two talismans."

"What about the four elements?" Hunter asked.

"They were easy enough to find" Alice said. "Don't worry. Soon they will all be within your grasp and then you will be unstoppable."

Suddenly, the sound of a twig snapping surprised them both. It didn't take long for Alice to realise that somebody had followed her. "I have to go!" she said, quickly passing her hands over the tablet.

"Bring me those elements, Alice!" Hunter shouted before disappearing.

Alice picked up the tablet and rose to her feet just in time to see Felix emerging from behind a tree. Alice frowned, both annoyed and worried that he may have just heard their conversation. "What are you doing here?" she asked angrily.

"I could ask you the same question" Felix replied.

"I was just...err...taking a walk" Alice stammered.

Felix stared at her in disbelief. "With a tablet?"

"I like to keep my possessions close, if you must know. Anyway, why were you snooping around?"

"I woke up and saw that you were gone, so I went looking for you. Also, I heard you talking to someone. Who was that?"

Alice's blood ran cold. She was well and truly busted. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do." Felix wasn't going to let her get away with this one.

Alice was beginning to grow irritated. "You would do well to mind your own business, Felix Ferne! And I don't have to tell you anything!" She turned to leave but Felix was too quick for her.

"You listen to me!" he hissed, grabbing her arm. "And listen good! I'm only here for Eden. She needs our help and I won't let you sabotage her chances of getting home. So, if you're planning something, it better not involve the others, especially not Eden. Because if anything happens to them you'll have me to answer to. Got it?"

Despite his threat, Alice was unexpectedly calm. She smiled. "Why so cynical, Felix? I promise, you can trust me." She then jerked her and out of Felix's grasp and walked away.

Felix scoffed. Trust Alice? After everything she had done in the past? He may as well put a fox in charge of a rabbit.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Eden woke to the sound of birds chirping accompanied by the feeling of sunlight shining on her face and a soft pillow under her head. She opened her eyes. For a moment she thought she was back at home in her room, under her Blood Rose bed sheets. But one look at the trees above made her realise that this was not the case. She was still in the forest and the pillow was actually Felix's stomach which really wasn't that soft.

She sat up, looking around her. "It's not a dream. It's real" she said to herself a little disappointedly.

A yawn from behind startled her. Eden looked over her shoulder to see Felix sitting up, rubbing his eyes. "Morning" he said.

"Morning" she replied, giving a small nod.

Sensing the disappointment in her tone, Felix stared at her, concerned. "What's wrong?"

Eden shook her head. "Nothing. It's just...I thought this was all a dream. I'm so sorry for dragging you guys into this. I never meant for it to happen" she added.

Felix smiled reassuringly. "It's ok. I've had worse."

Eden smiled back and a brief awkward silence followed that was soon broken by the sound of approaching feet, along with the sound of twigs snapping and leaves being brushed aside. Alice came into view, revealing herself to be the one making the noise. As soon as she saw the two teens, she grinned. "Oh, good, you're up. That's three down, four to go."

"Where have you been?" Eden asked suspiciously.

"Just taking an early morning walk" Alice replied.

 _Talk about Déjà Vu,_ Felix thought bitterly.

"Well, better wake the others. We've got a long journey ahead of us" Alice continued.

In some cases, waking the others up was easier said than done, particularly for Sam. "What time is it?" he inquired.

Andy checked his watch. "Six o'clock."

"Wake me up when breakfast is ready" Sam groaned and rolled over so that his face was pressed against the ground. While Ellen and Phoebe pulled Sam out of bed, everyone else stood up, yawning and rubbing their eyes.

"I'd forgotten what it was like to sleep on the ground" Andy said, stretching.

"I don't see how you guys managed it" said Eden.

"It wasn't easy, that's for sure" replied Andy. "Frankly, I don't think anyone can sleep easily on the ground."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that" Felix said, pointing down at Jake who was curled up into a ball, sleeping peacefully.

"I stand corrected" Andy muttered.

"See if you can wake him" Alice instructed.

Felix gently nudged the sleeping Jake, repeatedly telling him to wake up. But this had little effect. Jake simply rolled over, murmuring "Five more minutes, Mum."

"Let me try" Ellen offered. She went over to Jake and knelt by his side. Leaning towards him as close as she dared, she yelled loudly in his ear "OI, LAZY BONES, GEET THE HELL UP!" This didn't work either.

Everyone was beginning to think Jake would never wake up when Sam stepped in."I know what will wake him up."

Phoebe sighed in pretend relief. "Oh, thank God for the miracle worker here!"

Sam retrieved a bottle of water from his bag and poured some of the liquid into his mouth. Then, without any warning, he spat out every last drop onto Jake's face, waking him up instantly. Once the others had calmed Jake down, and successfully prevented him from pouncing on Sam and tearing him a new one, everybody piled into the van, ready to start the second stage of their journey. Unfortunately, the van barely moved a few centimetres before it abruptly stopped, leaving all the passengers wondering what the hell had happened. Phoebe tried to get the van started again but, no matter how much she twisted and turned the key, the vehicle wouldn't budge. So everyone piled back out of the van to see what was wrong with it. The girls checked the tyres while the boys checked the engine.

"The tyres are fine" Ellen informed them. "What about the engine?"

"Nothing to report" Felix answered.

"So, what's wrong with this van then?" Sam wondered out loud.

Everyone was pondering this when Andy just happened to gaze into the van through one of the windows and saw a little red light blinking on and off under the dashboard. "Err, Phoebe, have you checked the van's oil lately?"

Phoebe's face suddenly went very red. "Ummm..." (This was her way of saying she hadn't).

"Well, no matter. "We've got some extra fuel" Alice said brightly. She then looked at her sister sheepishly. "We have, haven't we?"

"Ummm..."

Alice sighed. "Oh, Phoebe!"

"I forgot!" Phoebe defended herself.

"Who forgets to bring extra fuel on a road trip?!" Andy retorted.

"I guess we'll just have to walk" Eden decided.

The others could see they had no other choice so they all grabbed as much luggage as they could carry and set off with Alice leading the group at the front and Phoebe at the rear. For three hours straight, they travelled through the dense forest land, occasionally stopping for a "quick" snack break called by Sam which did nothing but add to the frustration of his companions. It wasn't until after their fifth snack break that they finally came across the first signs of civilisation. They had come to a gravel path that led out onto a road which took them into a small town.

The town looked like something out of an old Western movie. The only difference was there were no people. In fact, it looked as if nobody had lived here for the last century or so. The endless river of black that was the long, straight road seemed to stretch on forever, as if seeking deliverance from all its long years of abandonment, and blades of grass and weeds were peering shyly through the cracks in the tarmac. All the buildings, though aged and built out of wood that was chipped and starting to rot, were still sturdy and strong.

The windows of the buildings were small and grubby and some were even smashed. Andy dared to peep through one of them, only to find that the inside was in need of some serious TLC. Dust, litter and debris covered the floor. Chairs and tables had been overturned. The moth-eaten curtains that had once covered the windows had been thrown to the ground and torn to pieces. It was like the scene of some violent crime.

"It's typical, isn't it?" Eden sighed.

"What is?" Andy asked, looking away from the building.

"There are people in this world who would pay dearly to have a roof over their heads. And yet, all these buildings have been left to rot."

Everyone gave a murmur of agreement.

"Wait a second" Phoebe suddenly said, looking around her. "I know this place. This is the set from the show _All the Rivers Run._ "

Alice's eyes widened. "By Jove, so it is!"

Ellen frowned at Alice. "By Jove? Who are you, Sherlock Holmes?"

"But, that show hasn't been on for years" said Andy. "So why is all this stuff still here? Surely it should've been destroyed years ago."

Phoebe shrugged. "I don't know. You'd have to ask the director, or the producers."

"Well, that would be very difficult to do, since I don't know who they are."

"Hey! What are you doing here?!" a gruff voice shouted, making them all jump. Behind them were two security guard in blue uniforms and one of them had their hand on the lead of a fierce dog.

"Oh crap!" Jake muttered.

"Quickly, run!" Alice shouted. And run, they did.

"I don't know what they're so upset about. We haven't done anything wrong" Felix said as they ran.

"Unless you count trespassing on private property" Andy pointed out, sprinting along at the back of the group, going as fast as his feet could carry him.

"My point is," Felix replied, "they're clearly overreacting. It's not like we've done any harm."

"And how do they know that? I mean, for all they know, we could've..."

"Maybe we should concentrate on getting out of here for a minute!" Phoebe suggested. Everyone was wise enough to take her advice and they fled for their safety, if not their lives. It wasn't until they were at least a mile away from the place that they realised their pursuers had given up the chase. Relieved, they stopped to rest under a nearby tree.

"Well," Alice panted, "that's one place we won't be going back to anytime soon."

"Agreed" the others all said.

Everyone was so exhausted by the events that had just unfolded that, one by one, they all fell asleep, right there and then.

* * *

 **Another chapter done. Hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for the next one. A big thank you to ElenaPrince55. Thanks for reviewing and don't worry; there's plenty more to come in future chapters.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry this chapter took so long. Anyway, here it is at last. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

The next few days consisted of nothing but walking, snack breaks, walking, fighting off demons and more walking. It seemed that, with each passing day, the Restoring Demon became more and more intent on destroying them.

One particularly disturbing experience was on the third day of their journey when they had come to another town (this time inhabited) and had stayed at a hotel there. That night there was a violent storm that shook the ground and an eerie howl echoed throughout the town, keeping them in constant fear. It all seemed part of a horrible nightmare. In the morning, the inhabitants of the town discovered that there were strange symbols all over the place that certainly hadn't been there before and, since the group had just happened to arrive the day before, they all suspected that they had something to do with it. Luckily, the group managed to get out of there before things had a chance to escalate.

Then, on the following day, they came to a rest stop on the edge of a busy highway where they bumped into two men who'd clearly had one too many drinks and were looking for a fight. But Ellen soon taught them what's what and the group managed to escape. Later that day, while on their own, Eden ran into those same men again, only this time they were possessed. They tried to take her away by force but she got away and made a run for it. The others heard her screams and went on a frantic search for her. She was eventually found, alive and unharmed, in an abandoned warehouse where the men also were. Felix managed to drive away the demon they were possessed by and, after a few well-placed threats from Jake, the men soon left them alone.

It was now the seventh day of their journey and still there was no sign of their destination. Their food supplies were rapidly decreasing and everyone was miserable. They had somehow found themselves back in the forest and were taking yet another break to figure things out. Felix, Andy, Ellen and Eden were trying to keep Sam away from the food while Alice and Phoebe were arguing over the map.

"Are you sure you're reading it right?" Phoebe asked sceptically.

"Positive" Alice replied, studying the infernal piece of paper.

Suddenly Jake drove his fist into a nearby tree and gritted his teeth. "I can't take this anymore! I've had it! Why can't we just go home?!"

Eden entreat Jake with her eyes. "Jake, please, now is not the time for..."

"No!" Jake yelled, startling her. "No, I've had enough of this! We should never have gone on this trip. Why did you have to come here Eden, huh?! Why couldn't you just stay in your own universe where you belong?!"

Eden stared at Jake, shocked and hurt. She had known that Jake had a bit of a temper but she never would have anticipated such an outburst as this.

Felix immediately jumped to her defence. "Don't take this out on Eden! She never asked for any of this. It isn't her fault."

Jake scoffed. "Oh, and I suppose it's not her fault that we have to risk our lives fighting off demons just to get her home?!"

"Well," said Ellen, "I'm sorry if your Highness is not impressed but what did you expect? After all, we're not exactly on a romantic getaway. And, need I remind you, nobody was forcing you to come. You made that decision on your own."

"How was I meant to know that we would end up getting stuck miles away from home in this goddamn forest?!" Sam fired back.

"Well, how do you think Eden feels being stuck in a different world with a demon after her?"

"Anyway," Felix added, "it's not like we've never been lost before. You should be getting used to it."

"You might be, but I'm not!" Sam shouted. "Besides, it's alright for you, isn't it? It's not like YOUR parents are going to worry about you! They'll be too busy looking after your crippled brother!"

Everyone gasped as Felix went ready with fury. "You leave my brother out of this!"

"Or what?"

Without any warning, Felix punched Sam in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground. Sam got back up onto his feet, ready to beat the living daylights out of Felix and he probably would have done if the others hadn't jumped between him and Felix, creating a barrier between them.

"I've had enough of this!" Sam screamed. "I'm going home!"

"So am I" Jake declared.

"And how are you going to get home without a map?" Alice asked, speaking for the first time.

"We'll find a way" Jake replied as he and Sam turned to leave.

"Wait, I'm coming too" Andy called, running after them. Eden, Felix, Ellen, Phoebe and Alice stared at him in disbelief. They couldn't believe that Andy was actually siding with Jake and Sam.

"How can you give up now when we've come this far?" Eden asked. "You're the one who was so eager to come on this journey. You said it would be an adventure, like _Lord Of The Rings_!"

Andy nodded. "I know. But I realise now that it was just a silly fantasy. Besides, when we got lost it took us two weeks to get home. What chance have we got with you? Better to give up now than face disappointment later."

These words went to Eden's heart like a knife and she watched helplessly as they walked away. She was about to run after them when Ellen stopped her. "It's not worth it" she said. "Who needs people like them anyway?"

Eden sighed. "I know, but Alice said we needed all four elements. How are we going to succeed with only two?" (Ellen, like Andy, was also a water element).

"We'll figure something out" Ellen said reassuringly. "Let's just keep going."

So, on they went. They made it only a few miles before Eden, for some reason, began to dawdle, then stopped altogether. Everyone noticed she looked very weak and appeared to be having trouble breathing.

"Eden, are you ok?" Felix asked.

Eden nodded. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" asked Ellen. "You don't look so good."

"If you don't feel well, we can stop and rest" Felix offered.

Eden opened her mouth to say something when her vision suddenly went blurry and her limbs seemed to stop working. She fell forward but Felix caught her just in time and lay her gently on the ground as her eyes slowly fluttered shut "What's wrong with her?" he asked in a panicked voice.

Alice knelt by Eden and checked her temperature. To everyone's surprise, Eden's eyes flew open and she gasped. "I...I just had a...a vision."

Realisation dawned on Alice. "She's the 5th element!"

Ellen frowned, confused. "The 5th element? I thought there were only 4."

"Well, according to pagan lore, there are 4 worldly elements: Earth, Fire, Air and Water" Phoebe explained. "Then there's a 5th element, Spirit, which maintains the balance between all elements. If Eden is the 5th element that means she needs the balance of the other 4 elements to survive."

Felix became anxious. "Survive? You...you mean..." He broke off.

Ellen quickly jumped in. "Is there anything we can do to help her?"

Alice immediately began searching the pages of her Book of Shadows and soon came across a spell entitled _Elemental Healing._ "This'll have to do" she said.

After collecting a few essentials, the spell was ready. Alice retrieved the stone tablet from her bag and lay it on the ground beside Eden and upon it she placed a lock of Eden's hair, a leaf, a feather, some ashes and a bowl of water. Then, sitting in a circle around Eden, everyone joined hands and chanted:

 _"Earth, Water, Air, Fire,_

 _Upon this tablet, we invoke thee._

 _Your strength, your power to heal._

 _While this tablet remains at hand,_

 _Our friend shall be safe throughout this land."_

The tablet glowed brightly and a brief silence followed which was broken by the sound of Eden's breathing. Her eyes opened and she sat up.

"How do you feel?" asked Ellen.

"A little better" Eden replied.

Felix turned to Alice. "How long before the spell wares off?"

"Not very long, so we need to head to our destination with all haste. And, by the looks of things," Alice now consulted the map, "it looks like we're almost there."

"Finally!" Phoebe cried in relief.

They were about to go when Ellen remembered something and looked at Eden. "That vision you had. What did you see?"

"What does it matter?" Alice said before Eden could reply.

"It could mean something important" Felix suggested. "Go on, Eden. Tell us what you saw."

"I saw...I saw a man in, what looked like, a scrying pool" Eden answered. "He was talking to Alice. I think he said something like _Bring me those elements, Alice._ "

Everyone looked at Alice suspiciously.

"Alice, is there something you're not telling us?" Phoebe asked.

Alice gave no reply but, before anyone could stop her, she jumped to her feet, grabbed Eden and, from her bag, she retrieved a small bottle which she smashed on the ground. A thick white fog appeared and surrounded the rest of the group. It took a full 5 minutes for the fog to clear and when it did, Alice and Eden were gone.

Ellen looked around frantically. "Where'd they go?"

Felix noticed that Alice had left her map behind and picked it up. On the map he noticed a small clearing in the forest not far from where they were with a small cabin in the centre of it. The cabin had been circled and labelled "Hunter's lair." Immediately, everything fell into place.

Felix frowned. "I bet I know where."

Ellen and Phoebe looked at him hopefully but he shook his head. "I'll explain later. But first we need to find Jake, Andy and Sam."

Ellen raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Trust me, we can't do this without them. Come on!"

And off they ran.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Some distance away in an eerie-looking cabin, the inside of which was dimly lit and decorated with pentagrams, wiccan symbols and tall white candles, Alice and Hunter, a tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed man, were talking urgently. In his hand, he held Eden's talisman and he didn't seem too happy.

"What good is just the one talisman?" he hissed. "I need both! And why did you split up from the rest of the group?"

"I had to" Alice replied. "They discovered our secret. But give them time; they'll come soon, I'm sure of it. After all, I left them the map."

Just then, who should walk in but the boys themselves, accompanied by Phoebe and Ellen. Felix had successfully convinced the other boys to help find Eden and were now prepared to do whatever it took to save her. Alice greeted them with a smile. "We've been expecting you."

Jake scoffed. "I bet you have!"

"Where's Eden?" Felix demanded. "Give her back to us, now!"

Hunter nudged Alice. "You heard him, Alice. Bring her in here."

Alice complied. She left the room and returned a few seconds later, bringing Eden with her. Eden's hands were tied behind her back and her mouth was covered by a gag. Alice roughly shoved Eden away from her and Eden landed on the ground at Felix's feet. Felix ran to Eden and removed her gag.

"You came!" she gasped.

Felix nodded. "Of course we did. You're our friend."

Eden smiled, then leaned towards him and lowered her voice. "They've got my talisman, Felix, and they want yours as well. Promise me you won't let them have it, no matter what."

Felix barely had time to respond before Hunter grabbed her by the hair and pulled her towards him. "That's enough chatter. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Hand over the talisman and nobody gets hurt. But, if you refuse..." Hunter grabbed a sharp, stainless steel knife that sat on a nearby table, held it to Eden's throat and said menacingly "your friend dies."

Alice looked shocked. "But, Hunter, you promised you wouldn't hurt them."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Well guess what? I lied."

The boys all stared at the knife in Hunter's hand. He wouldn't, would he?

"Don't just stand there!" Ellen cried. "Somebody do something!"

Felix lightly touched the talisman that hung around his neck. Eden had said he mustn't give it away, no matter what. But if he didn't, Eden would die and he wouldn't want to be responsible for that. He had to hand over the talisman. It was the only way to save her. He took off the talisman and held it out towards Hunter. Realising what he was doing, Sam jumped in front of Felix while Jake grabbed his arm.

"Don't do it" Jake warned. It's the only thing that can protect us."

"It's also the only thing that will save Eden" replied Felix. "If I don't give Hunter the talisman, he'll kill her! Do you want that? Do you?!"

Jake and Sam looked at Felix, then they looked at Eden. All it took was one glimpse of the scared, pleading look in her eyes for them to make up their minds. Sam stepped aside while Jake released his grip on Felix's arm. Felix handed the talisman to Hunter who took it from him, grinning smugly. Then, holding the talisman in his hand, he chanted

 _"Divinity of the elements, I summon thee._

 _Earth, Water, Air, Fire._

 _Aid in my quest, I call ye forth._

 _Water, Fire, Earth and Air._

 _Elements that we all share."_

A line of yellow light streamed out of the bodies of Felix, Ellen, Andy, Sam and Jake who all then fell to the floor. "Catch ya later!" Hunter jeered as he exited the cabin and disappeared into the forest laughing wickedly, leaving the four boys and Ellen rendered powerless. Once Hunter was gone, Phoebe helped the boys up onto their feet while Alice and Ellen untied Eden.

"Are you ok?" Alice asked.

Eden glared at her. "What do you care? You're the one who brought me here in the first place! You better have a bloody good explanation for all of this!"

Alice sighed. "I guess it's time you learnt the truth."

"YOU GUESS?!" everyone else screamed in unison.

"Well, Hunter is, or was, a good friend of mine with a disturbingly deep obsession with world domination and the occult" Alice explained. "Hunter wants to gain complete power and control over not only this world but all other worlds as well. In order to do so, he needs to combine the power of the elements and a talisman from this world with a talisman from another world. That's where Eden comes in. Even I knew that this was madness and he had to be stopped. I decided that the best way to do this was to combine all 4 elements in this world with a Spirit element from another world. I used scrying pools to search for the right person and when I found Eden I knew she was the one I needed. So I created a second talisman and sent it to your world. Then you found it and...well, here you are."

Everyone stared at Alice in shocked silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Andy spoke. "So how exactly are we supposed to stop Hunter if we don't have our powers?"

"I have a spell which will take care of that" Alice replied. "But first we have to destroy Hunter's Book of Shadows. That will decrease his power. For that, we need the dagger Divinity."

"Slight problem: we don't have the dagger" Sam pointed out.

Alice grinned. "That's where you're wrong." She walked over to a nearby cabinet, opened it and retrieved a dagger with a blade as shiny as a new penny and a hilt of pure gold. Upon the blade was engraved the word _Divinity._ This was the very dagger they had been looking for. "Hunter knew this would help to stop him so he hid it away in the last place you would expect to find it" Alice told them. "Now, we must combine our elements and place them in this dagger."

Alice led them to a small black wooden altar which they all gathered around in a circle. Upon the altar, Alice placed the dagger and a lock of hair each from Felix, Andy, Sam, Jake, Ellen and Eden. Everyone then joined hands and chanted

 _"Water, Fire, Earth and Air,_

 _Elements that we all share._

 _Unite as one, in essence tied._

 _Obey my call, none will deny._

 _Bound and shared, together as one._

 _Access my power, limits undone."_

Immediately after the spell was finished, everyone felt a slight tingle in their fingertips and the blade of the dagger glowed. They all smiled. The spell was complete. Their powers were regained. And now they were ready for action.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Hunter stood in a small clearing in the forest. In one hand, he held the two talismans and in the other hand he held his Book of Shadows from which he was reciting an incantation. Nearby, the gang had spread out to different areas of the forest, hiding from him as best as they could. Alice and Phoebe were hiding behind a tall oak tree, as was Ellen, while the boys and Eden squatted behind a clump of bushes. A shadow began to surround Hunter and a large black cloud slowly covered the face of the sun.

"It's happening" Alice whispered. "He's joining the worlds together. We need to get the talismans and his Book of Shadows."

Phoebe looked over at the boys and nodded to Jake and Sam. "That's our cue" Jake murmured. He curled his hand into a fist and a loud rumbling sounded as the ground trembled. Hunter's voice faltered and he stumbled forward. Sam then rose to his feet and placed his hands before him, palms facing their enemy. A strong gust of wind blew Hunter backwards, knocking the talismans and the book out of his hands and down to the ground.

"Now, Ellen!" Alice yelled.

Ellen, who was closest to Hunter, sprang forward nimbly and grabbed the book and the talismans. Hunter leapt towards her, snarling, but Felix was ready for him. A fireball shot out of his hand and circled around Hunter until he was surrounded by a ring of fire. Ellen tossed the book to Phoebe who then threw it to Eden. Ellen then sprinted to join the boys who were all on their feet by now.

Hunter, determined to not be beaten, jumped over the fire and ran towards the kids. The boys did likewise and tackled Hunter to the ground and held him down as best as they could.

"Quick!" Alice shouted, running to join the girls and handing the dagger to Eden. "Destroy the book!"

Eden lay the book on the ground and pierced it, front cover, pages and all with the razor sharp blade of the dagger. A blinding white light burst out of the book which slowly rose from its resting place and burst into flames.

"No!" Hunter cried. He wriggled free from the boys and ran towards Eden, screaming "I'll kill you for this!"

Acting on instinct, Eden jumped up and stabbed Hunter with the dagger, leaving a gaping wound in his chest with blood gushing out of it. He shrieked in agony and clutched his injury with both of his hands. He then fell down dead and, to everyone's surprise, his body crumbled into tiny pieces and scattered to the wind like ashes.

What followed was a breathless silence that seemed to last forever as everyone stood gasping for breath. They were so dazed by the speed of events that they failed to notice the sunlight returning.

At last, Jake spoke. "We did it. We really did it!"

"Awesome!" Sam cheered as he and Jake high-fived each other.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief and decided that now was as good a time as any to apologise to everyone. She stepped forward and said nervously "Listen, guys, I'm really, really sorry for what I put you all through. Especially you, Eden."

Eden smiled. "It's ok. It's over now."

Ellen stared at her. "You're actually forgiving her? After everything she's done?!" She then looked at Alice. "Do you honestly think you can earn our forgiveness with an apology?"

Alice sighed. "I suppose not."

Ellen shook her head. "No, of course not. A simple sorry won't make us forgive you." Then suddenly, and very unexpectedly, Ellen stretched out her hand and pointed it to a spot just above Alice's head. A small grey cloud appeared and a waterfall of raindrops fell from it, drenching Alice from head to toe. "But that might!" Ellen chuckled.

Everyone laughed, even Alice.

"Well, Andy," Jake said, "I never thought I'd say this but you were right. This has been a real adventure. And, guys," he added, looking at Felix, Ellen and Eden, "I'm really sorry for that fight we had earlier."

"So are we" Andy and Sam said and Felix, Ellen and Eden forgave them.

"Now, let's not forget what we came here for" Phoebe said, glancing at Eden's talisman.

Eden's face fell as Ellen handed the talisman to her. She turned it over in her hands, gazing at it thoughtfully. She felt conflicted. She had always wanted to live in the world of the Nowhere Boys but she also wanted to go home. As if he had read her mind, Felix walked over to her and said "You could stay, if you want."

Eden smiled at him and considered. This could be her chance. The chance to have the life she always wanted. A life of adventure and excitement, battling demons, practising magic spells and having her own elemental power. But she knew she couldn't stay and she told him so. "I've had a great time here with all of you, I really have, but this place could never be home. My mother would get really upset if I never came back. Plus, there's the Restoring Demon to consider. I'm sorry but I can't stay."

Felix nodded understandingly and everyone watched sadly as Eden lay her talisman on the ground and plunged the dagger into the stone. As soon as she did so, a portal appeared before her, through which she could see the hallway of her house. Her eyes filled with tears as she rose to her feet and hugged each of her newfound friends, promising them that they wouldn't be forgotten. Then, drying her eyes, she walked towards the portal. Before stepping through it, she turned back to face the group, giving them one last smile.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 _How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on when in your heart you begin to understand there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep. That have taken hold._

 ** _(Frodo Baggins, Lord of the Rings, Return of the King)_**

Eden stood rooted to the floor, staring around her at the hall she had passed through so many times before. Everything was exactly the same, just as she remembered it. It was the same hour of the same day of the same month in the same year. Nothing had changed. Eden quickly looked behind her at the mirror, where it had all began, hoping to catch a quick glimpse of the Nowhere Boys one last time. To her disappointment, all she saw was her reflection. But that didn't matter. She was home and that was all that was important.

Months went by and Eden never told anyone about her adventure with the Nowhere Boys, not even her mother. It was, and always would be, her own precious little secret. She never forgot their adventure and would remember it for years to come. She remembered how she had first arrived in that forest, how Felix had saved her from that speeding school bus, how Sam had been so eager to find out everything he could about England and, especially, their long, seemingly endless, journey. However, there were some stages of that journey that Eden would have given anything to forget, particularly her being captured and held hostage by Hunter. She could still feel the blade of that knife pressing against her throat, set to slit it open. She had been so afraid that she would die, she'd been shivering all over (well, who wouldn't be in such a situation?).

She often thought about the Nowhere Boys and wondered where they were now. Did they still live in Bremin or had they gone their separate ways? What were they doing now? Would she ever see them again? So many questions that she would most likely never know the answer to. But regardless, there was no denying that Eden would never forget them and Jake was right. It had been a great adventure.

Just like Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings, she had gone there and back again.

The end

 **Author's Note**

 **Well, that's it folks. End of story (literally). I hope you enjoyed it. If so, be sure to keep an eye out for my next fanfiction which I hope to have up by the New Year. Until then, bye for now!**


End file.
